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Elijah Moore Not Likely To Land On Bills’ Roster Bubble

June 21st, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brandon Beane gave a notable post-draft interview taking exception to radio criticism of his team’s wide receiver depth chart. The Bills may not have a true No. 1-level wideout post-Stefon Diggs, but they did do some work at the position this offseason.

Buffalo signed Josh Palmer early in free agency, and while the ex-Charger’s contract details revealed a more team-friendly structure (three years, $29MM) than initial reports indicated, he will be expected to play a central role in an attack that will see heavy involvement from Keon Coleman and the recently extended Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel remains on the team as well, as the ex-Panther is tied to a guaranteed 2025 base salary ($6.91MM).

After the draft, though, the Bills made a modest investment in a fifth wideout. They signed Elijah Moore to a one-year, $2.5MM deal that came fully guaranteed. That figure would not make Moore bulletproof on cutdown day, but Moore does not appear in danger of being a quick cut. The ex-Jets and Browns contributor is “close to a lock” to land on the Bills’ 53-man roster, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes, adding that Samuel will be a lock to make the team.

Moore landing in Buffalo is interesting given the QB hands the former second-round pick has been dealt. Arriving in New York a round after the Jets chose Zach Wilson, Moore ended up in Cleveland as Aaron Rodgers (feat. then-GM Joe Douglas) pieced together a depth chart that included ex-Packer wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. The Browns did not have a reliable quarterback targeting Moore, as it turned out, with Deshaun Watson becoming a spectacular trade bust. Cleveland slogged through a 3-14 2024 season, and Moore did not generate too much free agency interest.

The Browns still applied a rarely used UFA tender to Moore before the late-spring deadline. This came before Cleveland’s Diontae Johnson signing, but the Browns’ Moore move ended up pertaining only to the 2026 compensatory formula after the slot weapon’s Bills signing. Moore is part of an interesting Buffalo receiver depth chart that now includes three slot types (along with Shakir and Samuel), while Palmer has some slot experience as well. Despite this heavy commitment to inside playmakers at the position, it appears the Bills — who did not re-sign Amari Cooper and saw Mack Hollins sign with the Patriots — are prepared to roster Moore and use him as a tertiary option.

ESPN’s Open Score metric ranked Moore 22nd in separation in 2021 and 37th in 2023. His other two seasons, marred by Wilson (and a clash with the Jets’ staff) and then the Browns starting four QBs, brought much worse rankings here. But the Ole Miss alum still produced 538 yards in 11 rookie-year games and then a career-high 640 in a mostly sluggish (pre-Joe Flacco) Browns attack in 2023. Going from this collection of QBs to Josh Allen could give the Bills an interesting weapon and provide Moore with a chance to boost his value for a 2026 free agency bid, though how the Bills divvy up playing time and targets to their bevy of slots — in an offense that also features receiving tight end Dalton Kincaid — will be an interesting subplot to follow.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

June 18th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns and Rams’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Shaq Thompson Unlikely To Start For Bills

June 15th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

New Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson has been a full-time starter for most of his career. A veteran of 10 years, Thompson started double-digit games in each of his first eight seasons and entered each of his last two seasons as the starter, as well. For the first time in his career, though, it’s considered likely that Thompson will consistently be coming off the bench throughout the 2025 NFL season, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

This week saw Thompson reunited with his former defensive coordinator in Carolina — now Bills head coach — Sean McDermott and a man who helped in drafting him to Carolina, Bills general manager Brandon Beane. That familiarity with McDermott’s system will almost certainly help the 31-year-old defender earn a role on the defense, but Buscaglia posits that Thompson’s ceiling could be as LB4 on the depth chart.

In 2025, Buffalo hopes it will see the return of three healthy starters in Matt Milano and Dorian Williams on the outside and Terrel Bernard in the middle, and per Buscaglia, the three “all seem relatively entrenched in their spots.” To be fair to Thompson’s chances, though, none of them had very good individual performances in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF graded Williams as the best of the three, ranking him at 61st out of 84 players graded at the position. Milano came in at 73rd, while Bernard slotted in at 80th.

To be fair to Williams, Milano, and Bernard, though, the three only got four games together in the regular season. Once they got to the playoffs, the three worked extremely well together in slowing down a potent Ravens offense to advance to an AFC Championship matchup with the Chiefs.

If Thompson can get back to his pre-injury level of play, though, there’s certainly a chance he can earn some starting time, should any of the current first-team stumble. That’s a big if, though. With his 2023 season ending due to a fibula fracture and his 2024 campaign cut short due to a torn Achilles tendon, it’s been nearly two years since we’ve seen Thompson at his best. Primarily an outside linebacker during his time in Carolina, Thompson could push the weak link in the rankings, Bernard, by shifting inside for some potential playing time, as well.

Ultimately, Thompson will need to show he’s healthy, and he’ll need to show that he still is capable of running in McDermott’s defense, but Thompson has every chance at making the roster and earning a strong role. Turning that strong role into a starting one may be a tougher task for Thompson to tackle.

Players Interested In Olympic Flag Football

June 14th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

Since the announcement that the NFL’s ownership group would allow active NFL players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics’ flag football event, there’s been plenty of speculation on which players might find themselves representing the US of A. While Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made it known that he had no intentions of playing, and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill claimed he’d rather do track, there have been some players who have expressed interest.

If Team USA is looking for a quarterback, it needn’t look past last year’s MVP. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, Bills quarterback Josh Allen is prepared to throw his hat in the ring. In a quote to the media, Allen made sure not to disrespect the current quarterbacks of the flag football community but claimed that he “would absolutely love to” play if the opportunity presented itself.

While we haven’t seen any other offensive weapons volunteer themselves to potentially play with Allen, Team USA has a few offers on defense. If they play their cards right, the country’s national flag football team could land the two cornerbacks that topped Pro Football Focus’s positional rankings in 2022.

The Jets released a video this week of star cornerback Sauce Gardner expressing his interest in playing. Gardner told reporters that he “definitely would be interested in…being able to play for (his) country.” The third-year cornerback had a relatively down year after two first-team All-Pro seasons to open his career, but I imagine Team USA would at least do their homework to see how he’d fit on the team.

If the Olympic team really wants to create a shutdown cornerback tandem, Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain has also offered his services. According to Luca Evans of The Denver Post, Surtain spoke at an event for his foundation earlier this month and told the media he has “definitely high interest” in playing, calling the possibility a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Ultimately, it’ll be a couple years before we truly know who all could be participating. Each team will be able to send one player to the flag football tryouts whenever they take place. At the moment, it sounds like Allen, Gardner, and Surtain are making bids to be the representatives from Buffalo, New York, and Denver.

Bills DE Joey Bosa Expected Back By Training Camp

June 14th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Injuries have limited Joey Bosa‘s play in the last three seasons, limiting his free agency potential, as a result. Unfortunately, he’s already found some injury trouble with his new team, but according to Lance Lysowki and Ryan O’Halloran of The Buffalo News, there’s “no question” the veteran pass rusher will be ready in time for training camp.

Coming off his release from a five-year, $135MM extension, the past year of which included a pay cut, Bosa landed in Buffalo after a brief stint as a free agent. While he was well-compensated on the deal, worth $12.61MM, his injury history likely limited the team’s commitment to a one-year tryout.

If he hits on a number of incentives, Bosa stands to earn an additional $3.51MM and the potential of a more committed contract. Reaching those incentives would require Bosa to play at least 65 percent of the Bills’ defensive snaps (something he hasn’t done since 2021) and register 12.0 sacks (something he hasn’t done since 2017).

Bosa’s pay cut came as a result of missing 20 of 36 games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He missed a three-game stretch last year but played in the Chargers’ final 11 games of the regular season, though he only tallied three sacks in that span. While he was able to get on the field, injuries may still have been limiting the 29-year-old. His defensive rating in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), was the lowest of his career and ranked 71st out of 119 edge defenders.

The news of the early calf injury is certainly not encouraging, seeing as it keeps him off the field during a crucial stretch for helping to learn a new defense, but the certainty of reports that he’ll be back for training camp provide some silver lining. With Von Miller no longer on the roster, Bosa is expected to step in across from Greg Rousseau on the starting defensive line. A.J. Epenesa will continue to run with the first team, until Bosa is ready and may continue to do so until Bosa can earn the spot. Regardless, Buffalo will likely be patient with its new pass rusher, making sure they have a healthy Bosa on hand. Bosa intends for that version of himself to show up at training camp.

Bills Sign Round 1 CB Maxwell Hairston

June 13th, 2025 at 11:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Only three unsigned first-round picks now remain. The Bills checked theirs off the list Friday, agreeing to terms with Maxwell Hairston on his four-year rookie deal.

Hairston’s agreement leaves only Travis Hunter, Jahdae Barron and Shemar Stewart without contracts from Round 1. Hunter is not expected to sign for a bit, while Stewart is embroiled in a strange stalemate with the Bengals over guarantee language.

[RELATED: Bills Discussed Jaire Alexander Trade With Packers]

The Bills, who also signed fourth-round defensive tackle (and ex-Hairston Kentucky teammate) Deone Walker, have only one pick left to sign. Second-round DT T.J. Sanders remains out of contract, but the second round has served as a sticking point as guarantee value for that draft sector continues to climb. While Walker figures to see a depth role in 2025, Hairston will face pressure to become an immediate starter for a Super Bowl contender.

Projected to become a Bill at No. 30 in Ely Allen’s PFR mock, Hairston indeed ended up in Western New York. He is the Bills’ third Round 1 CB investment since 2017, following Tre’Davious White and Kaiir Elam. Hairston brings elite speed to Buffalo’s secondary. The Kentucky product blazed to a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the Combine — this year’s fastest clocking — to cement his status as a first-round-level talent. The Bills opted to leave Rasul Douglas in free agency and draft Hairston, adding a rookie-contract complementary piece following their Christian Benford extension.

A Kentucky-record three pick-sixes placed Hairston on the map in 2023, but he followed up the five-INT campaign with only one interception and five passes defensed in an abbreviated 2024. Though, that singular pick was also returned for a score. Hairston’s ball skills draw the most attention, but he works with a keen awareness of how the defense around him is unfolding. A shoulder injury caused him to miss five games last season; the Bills will bet on the 5-foot-11 corner anyway, doing so with a track record of injuries and draft misfires taking place at the position during the Sean McDermott-Brandon Beane era.

White saw injuries blunt his All-Pro momentum, with his ACL and Achilles tears costing the Bills dearly in narrow playoff losses to the Chiefs — as Buffalo CB availability has become a defining component in this series — and eventually leading him out of town as a cap casualty. White, however, is back (on a one-year, $3MM deal). Elam represented one of the biggest first-round busts in Bills history; the team admitted a mistake on him by dealing the 2022 draftee to Dallas in a late-round pick-swap agreement. The Chiefs picked on Elam, thrust into Buffalo’s lineup because of another ill-timed Benford playoff injury, in their AFC championship game win.

The Bills’ latest postseason loss to their nemesis undoubtedly influenced the Hairston investment, and the AFC East powerhouse’s CB depth chart points to the speedy rookie setting up camp atop the depth chart alongside Benford and slot bastion Taron Johnson. The Bills will have Hairston signed through 2028 and will hold a fifth-year option on the contract for 2029.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Wilkins, Hilton, Pats

June 13th, 2025 at 11:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Formerly a GM candidate, Lake Dawson has not come up on the PFR pages since 2019. But the former NFL wide receiver had remained a key presence in the Bills‘ front office. The longtime Brandon Beane lieutenant, however, is no longer with the franchise. Dawson joined Oklahoma’s staff under new Sooners GM Jim Nagy. The SEC program announced Dawson’s addition as senior assistant GM recently. Dawson, 53, played for the Chiefs from 1994-97, being a regular starter during the back half of Marty Schottenheimer‘s tenure. He has nearly 25 years’ worth of experience on the personnel side, moving from the Seahawks to the Titans to the Browns to the Bills. The Panthers twice interviewed Dawson for their GM job before rehiring Marty Hurney in 2018. Dawson turned down an offer to become the Dolphins’ GM in 2014. The former Tennessee VP of player personnel had been Buffalo’s assistant director of college scouting, but he will follow Joe Schoen in leaving the team for another opportunity.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Bills Engaged In Jaire Alexander Trade Talks; CB Drawing Immediate Interest

June 10th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jaire Alexander‘s Packers tenure officially came to an end yesterday. Green Bay’s decision to move on came after multiple attempts at working out a trade fell through.

One of the teams which pursued an Alexander trade was the Bills. Buffalo and Green Bay discussed a swap this offseason, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. After no agreement was reached, the Bills moved on to other CB options. Given the nature of Alexander’s contract, it is fair to assume finances represented a barrier to a deal being worked out in this case.

Cornerback was seen as a priority for the Bills this spring, one in which Christian Benford was among the many recent draftees who received a long-term extension. Buffalo’s first-round pick was used on Maxwell Hairston, and the Kentucky product will presumably join Benford and Taron Johnson as a starter in 2025. Alexander would have provided Buffalo with a high-profile boundary cover man, but his injuries (10 missed games in each of the past two years) were obviously a source of hesitation on the part of suitors.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the Packers attempted to trade Alexander in March, something the team openly discussed prior to the start of free agency. After those efforts failed to yield a deal, per Breer, Green Bay’s attempts were repeated during the draft. With no offers deemed sufficient being made at either juncture, the team’s attention shifted back to the possibility of a pay cut arrangement.

Deep into the offseason, it became clear there was not a restructure to be worked out, however. As a result, Alexander now finds himself on the market in June. In the immediate aftermath of his release, it was reported a strong market would likely exist for the Pro Bowler’s services; it appears that is indeed the case.

Six teams immediately checked in once Alexander was released, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports. The number of suitors for the 28-year-old should increase now that parting with draft capital and taking on the final two years of his contract are no longer necessary. Per Schultz, it is unclear if the Bills are among the teams which will make a free agent push. Given their prior interest, though, it would certainly not come as a surprise if that were to be the case.

Alexander was attached to a $21MM-per-year pact prior to his release, but a less lucrative commitment no doubt awaits him this summer. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for him to choose his next destination as he weighs a number of possibilities.

Bills Sign LB Shaq Thompson

June 10th, 2025 at 9:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Shaq Thompson has lined up his next NFL gig. The veteran linebacker signed a one-year deal with the Bills on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Thompson was informed by the Panthers in February he would not be re-signed. That decision ended his 10-year run with the franchise and left him in need of joining a new team for the first time in his career. The 31-year-old will now spend the summer looking to carve out a role in Buffalo.

Immediately after learning his time in Carolina was over, Thompson made it clear he had no intention of retiring. Since that point, no clear links had emerged to known suitors until today’s news. It comes as no surprise, however, that the Bills have elected to bring the former first-rounder into the fold.

During the first two years of Thompson’s career (2015-16), he worked under then-Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. The latter has been Buffalo’s head coach since 2017, so this deal represents a reunion between the two. Thompson will look to return to his previous form by avoiding the injuries he has dealt with over the past two years. Over that span, he has played just six total games.

Thompson produced a stretch of four consecutive seasons with 104 tackles or more prior to his injury-shortened campaigns, and he if can manage to remain healthy he could offer Buffalo a first-team option at the linebacker spot. More realistically, the 112-game starter could provide experienced depth at the second level of the team’s defense. The Bills have Terrel Bernard, who inked a $42MM extension this offseason, in place as their highest-paid linebacker.

Matt Milano and Dorian Williams will also return from last year’s team, and they will be expected to handle key roles in 2025. Nonetheless, Thompson could carve out a spot on the depth chart during training camp. His acclimation to his new team will begin this week during Buffalo’s minicamp.

The Bills entered Tuesday with a league-low $1.69MM in cap space, leaving them short on finances to make free agent additions. Thompson was on track for a pact at or near the veteran minimum from any suitor, though, and that will no doubt be the case with this Buffalo agreement.

RB James Cook Attends Bills Minicamp

June 10th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Ben Levine

James Cook is still pushing for a new contract, but the Bills running back was in attendance for the first day of mandatory practices. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Cook was present at Bills minicamp today.

[RELATED: Bills, James Cook Failed To Make Progress During Extension Talks]

Cook was absent from voluntary OTAs as he continued to seek an extension. We recently heard that the two sides had indeed discussed a new deal, but they were never particularly close on finalizing an agreement. As a result, there was some speculation that the running back could skip out on the team’s mandatory minicamp. Cook also isn’t expected to stage a hold-in, as the RB told reporters that he intends to practice with his teammates (per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones).

Instead, Cook showed up, with the former second-round pick pointedly noting that he didn’t want to get fined.

“I like my money. Definitely do,” Cook said (via Jones). “So, that’s why I’m here.”

After finishing tied for the league lead in rushing TDs (16) in 2024, Cook is currently on track to play out the final season of his rookie contract in 2025. The 25-year-old is reportedly seeking a contract that would pay him around $15MM annually; that AAV would be tied with Derrick Henry for third at the position (behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey).

While the Bills appeared willing to extend the running back on their terms, it sounds like the front office is wary of handing out a contract that flirts with the top of the position. GM Brandon Beane even implied that he’s prepared to wait out the coming season before deciding on a big contract for Cook, and it seems increasingly likely that the RB will play out the 2025 season as an impending free agent. Cook wouldn’t have been the first player in this scenario to skip out on practices, and coach Sean McDermott respected the player’s decision to report.

“I credit James,” McDermott said (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). “Business is business. At the end of the day, I know he loves being around this team and the guys in the locker room and he loves to play football.

“So, I respect his decision to be here and be amongst the team and get some work in today, and we’re looking forward to that.”

As Getzenberg notes, three other members of the Bills’ 2022 rookie class have earned new deals (including wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard, and cornerback Christian Benford). As a result, Cook could naturally have some hard feelings towards the organization. Fortunately, the RB understands that it’s a business.

“I don’t look at it [as a distraction],” Cook said (via Getzenberg). “I just be where my feet are every day and just want to play football. That’s what I’m here to do.”

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